More Than Friends
by Black Knight 03
Summary: Miranda and Gordo slowly become more than friends. [MG]
1. Waking Up

Disclaimer – Disney owns Lizzie McGuire

A/N – _"Thoughts" _, Miranda and Gordo are juniors

Chapter 1 – Waking Up

Miranda groaned slightly as sunlight flooded the Sanchez's living room and hit her closed eyes. Rolling over she snuggled closer to the warmth she felt next to her.

Just as Miranda got comfortable, she felt what she was lying against move up and down slowly. _"What now?"_ she thought annoyingly as she lifted her head up. Slowly opening her eyes, Miranda found herself looking at the side of Gordo's face. _"Gordo?"_

Gordo was slouched on one end of the couch, his head resting against his chest. Miranda had originally been asleep on the other end of the couch, but over the course of the night, she had moved down towards Gordo.

Still half asleep, Miranda watched as the sunlight seemed to dance across his face. A small grin tugged at her lips. _"He looks so peaceful."_

Yawning, she put her head back down against his shoulder and snuggling closer, closed her eyes.

Just as she was about to fall back asleep, their position finally hit her. _"Gordo!"_

Miranda's head snapped up and she jerked back fast. Unfortunately, this caused her to fall backwards off the couch.

After crashing hard into the floor, she slowly sat up. "Ow," she said rubbing the back of her head. As the pain slowly passed, Miranda started to remember what happened.

Since they were both dateless last night, Saturday night, they had decided to hang out and watch a marathon of old movies. _"We must've fallen asleep."_

Suddenly, she heard someone behind her laughing softly. Slowly turning around, she saw her mom standing in the archway. "Mom!" Miranda glanced back at Gordo, then looked at her mom again. "I…We...How much did you see?"

Mrs. Sanchez tried not to laugh but the look on her daughter's face was priceless. "Its okay honey. I know you two fell asleep watching your movies." Mrs. Sanchez then smiled, "Though I was a bit surprised at how cozy you two got on the couch."

Mrs. Sanchez's smile grew wider as she watched Miranda look down at the ground and blush slightly. _"I was just teasing her. I wonder if there actually is something going on."_

Hearing them talking, Gordo slowly woke up. He grunted as he lifted his head up and his stiff neck cracked.

"Morning Gordo," Mrs. Sanchez said to him.

"Morning," he mumbled as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "I better call my parents," Gordo said as he moved to stand up.

"Don't worry about it. Mr. Sanchez called them already." Mrs. Sanchez told him. "They said to come home when you were ready."

Before anyone could say anything else, Miranda's five-year-old sister interrupted them. "Mommy!" Gabby called from her room upstairs. 

Mrs. Sanchez looked behind her for a moment and then back at Miranda and Gordo. "I have to go check on Gabby. When I come back down, I'll start breakfast." With that, Mrs. Sanchez turned around and headed upstairs. 

"Thanks Mrs. Sanchez." Gordo slowly stood up and looked down at Miranda, who was still sitting on the floor. She looked like she was studying the pattern in the carpet._ "I wonder what she's thinking about?"_

"Miranda?"

Miranda slowly looked up, "Uh?"

Gordo smirked, "I didn't realize the carpet was that fascinating." Gordo was expecting her to tease him back but was surprised when all she did was stare back at him.

"Miranda, you all right?" he asked a little concerned at her odd behavior.

Miranda blinked and shook her head. Looking back at Gordo, "Yea. Just tired, didn't sleep well."

Gordo nodded and took it at face value. He reached out a hand to help her up and was a little surprised when Miranda was slightly hesitant at taking it. "You sure you're ok?"

"Yea," Miranda answered quickly, took his hand and stood up. Once she got to her feet, her hand lingered on his and a tingle ran down her spin. _"What the hell is going on?"_ "I…I..." She started getting frustrated because she couldn't speak.

Gordo looked at her strangely and was about to say something when, to Miranda's relief, they were interrupted.

"Gordo!" Gabby yelled as she came racing into the room.

Miranda dropped Gordo's hand and took a quick step back. Gabby quickly ran in between them and stood in front of Gordo, smiling up at him.

Gabby grabbed his hand and pulled on his arm. "Come on Gordo! Mommy making pancakes."

Gordo chuckled softly at the little girl. He looked over at Miranda, "You coming?"

"Yea, in a minute." Miranda watched Gordo let Gabby drag him out of the living room and towards the kitchen.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Miranda ran a hand through her hair and then rubbed the back of her stiff neck.

_"What am I doing? I only act like a bumbling idiot around guys I like."_ As she was thinking, she unknowing reached up and gently fingered a charm that hung from her necklace. The charm was a silver music pendant that Gordo had given her for her birthday this year.

Miranda started pacing around the living room. This is Gordo. _"They guy is like my brother, not a guy I would consider a potential boyfriend. I mean sure he's smart, sweet, kinda charming, cute…cute?"_

"Miranda?"

Gordo's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked over at him. Her voice caught in her throat, she was suddenly memorized by how his dark curls hung just over his blue eyes.

"You coming?" Gordo asked. As usual, Gordo was oblivious to how Miranda was looking at him.

"Yea," she answered as she followed Gordo into the kitchen. Miranda shook her head, trying to push the thoughts out of her head. _"Gordo is my best friend, my brother, there is no way I can fall for him. It'd just make things way too awkward."_


	2. Can't Hide For Forever

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 2 – Can't Hide For Forever

It was Monday and Gordo was walking through the halls of Hill Ridge High School, heading towards his locker. It was lunchtime and before he headed to the cafeteria, he wanted to switch books.

Reaching his locker, he quickly spun in the combination and opened it. As he was exchanging books, he heard a familiar voice giggle. Slowly looking over his shoulder and down the hall, he spotted Miranda.

He stared at her for a few moments. She had been avoiding him all day and he couldn't figure out why. If they just hadn't been in the same place, he wouldn't have noticed. But she had literally turned around and walked away from him this morning.

Gordo closed his locker and looked at whom she was talking to. _"Danny Kessler."_ Danny had been Miranda's crush since Junior High.

Lizzie, who had been standing next to Miranda, looked up and caught him watching Miranda. A small smile tugged at her lips. Taking a quick glance at Miranda, who was absorbed in talking to Danny, she walked over to Gordo.

Gordo, who was too absorbed in watching Miranda and Danny, didn't notice her walk up.

"Jealous?" Lizzie whispered into his ear and laughed as Gordo jump in surprise. 

Gordo quickly looked over at her. "Jealous of what?"

Lizzie laughed again. "Please. You can't tell me you haven't enjoyed being the center of Miranda's attention for the past few months."

Over the summer, Gorgeous (A/N - Gordo's Grandmother) had passed away and Gordo had taken it hard. Gordo was never one to show his emotions and he kept everything buried deep inside. While all his friends had been there for him, it was Miranda who was there for him when he finally cracked. Since then, the two of them had been inseparable, at least until today.

"I have not been the center of her attention. We've always hung out a lot, we're best friends. Plus we're the only singles in our group."

Lizzie just grinned at him, "Wanna know what I think?"

Gordo turned and faced her, "Not really but you're gonna tell me anyway."

Lizzie gave him an annoyed glare. "Very funny David." She then grinned again. "I think you like her."

"What?" Gordo asked in disbelief. "I may be attracted to her but a guy would have to be dead not to be but, but, I do not like her like that"

"Sure," Lizzie said sarcastically. "I'll see ya in the cafeteria." Lizzie then walked back to Miranda.

Gordo shifted his book bag on his bag and let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Me like Miranda? Yea right," Gordo said to himself as he walked towards the cafeteria.

As Lizzie walked back to Miranda, she watched Danny walking away. "So what was that about?" she asked Miranda.

Miranda turned to her with a smile and shrugged. "We were just talking about Junior Prom, I think he's gonna ask me," she practically squealed.

As they walked to the cafeteria, Miranda told her everything that happened.

As they reached the cafeteria line and were waiting for the lunch, Lizzie turned to Miranda. "So how come you've been avoiding Gordo?"

Almost immediately, the smile vanished from Miranda's face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "You've practically turned around and ran away from him this morning."

"I did not!" Miranda protested. "I just had to take care of something." She said the first thing that popped into her head.

_"I wonder."_ "So then you'll have no problem sitting with him at lunch."

Miranda gulped, "Su…Sure, no problem."

After getting their lunches, they walked towards their table. Gordo who had already bought his lunch was waiting for them and saving their seats.

Gordo had heard them approach; looking up, he gave them a small smile. "Hey."

Lizzie slid into the seat across from him and Miranda slowly approached the table.

As Gordo smiled, Miranda lost herself and wasn't paying attention as she neared the table. She slammed her thigh into the corner of the table. "Damn it," she swore under her breath and slammed her tray onto the table.

When she saw Miranda was all right, Lizzie suppressed a laugh. _"She's just as bad as him."  
_  
Gordo immediately stood up, "You ok?"

"Yea. Just wasn't paying attention," Miranda said sitting down at the head of the table and rubbing her thigh. _"Great job Sanchez. Make an idiot out of yourself. All he did was smile and you practically lost it. This is so not good."_

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Lizzie and Miranda started talking about Junior Prom.

When Miranda and Lizzie started with their girl talk, Gordo had learned to half tune them out. While usually the majority of their conversations didn't interest him, every once in awhile there was something interesting that came up. Though he'd never tell them that.

Lizzie was talking, or rather bragging, about her date Kyle Ramsey. Kyle was a friend of Ethan and was the shortstop for the school's baseball team. Gordo thought he was an all right guy, a bit too much of a jock but not a bad guy.

"Any one asked you yet Mir?" Lizzie asked and for some reason Gordo's interest perked.

He watched Miranda look down at her tray and push the contents around. "No," she answered softly.

Lizzie grimaced, she didn't mean to upset her friend. "I'm sure any minute some hot guy is gonna ask you. Trust me." Gordo was almost positive that while Lizzie said that she was looking at him.

As he slouched down in his chair, he tuned out the rest of their conversation; instead focusing on his own thoughts.

He remembered about how excited they had been when the prom was first getting planned. Gordo knew that Miranda had everything, the dress, the tickets, everything but the date. _"Prom is in two months."_

As Gordo sat there, a plan was slowly forming in his head. _"I can't let her miss out on this, even if some guy is stupid enough not to ask her."_


	3. Digging Myself Deeper

To my readers/reviewers – Thanks for the compliments, I'm glad people are enjoying this.

Hermione-Granger17 – Danny is like the forgotten character in Lizzie McGuire. While Miranda and Lizzie had crushes on both Danny and Ethan, I like to think they had their personal favorites; Lizzie was more into Ethan and Miranda was more into Danny.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 3 – Digging Myself Deeper

Miranda slowly walked towards her locker; it had been a long day. She felt like a heel for purposely avoiding Gordo but she just couldn't face him and have a repeat of lunch.

Letting out a tired sigh, she spun in the combination and opened her locker. In between hiding from Gordo and making a fool of herself in front of him, she was pretty sure she had failed her history test. Even the highlight of flirting with Danny couldn't improve her mood.

After exchanging her books, she slammed her locker shut in frustration. 

"Is that anyway to treat your locker?" a familiar voice said behind her.

A chill ran up her spine and she slowly turned around. "Hey Gordo," she said softly as he walked up to her.

"Lizzie had to stay after. So I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Digital Bean?"

Miranda was torn between hanging out with her friend and not going and not risk making a fool of herself again. "I don't know." 

"Come on, I'm paying." Still seeing the apprehension, he continued. "How many times do I offer to pay?" he joked. "Please," he said giving her a lost little boy look.

Miranda felt her resistance crumble, _"I hate it when he does that."_ "Fine."

Gordo smiled and laughed softly. As they started walking towards the main doors, Miranda was trying her best to squash the nervous butterflies that were crashing around in her stomach.

While they walked to Gordo's car, both were trying to watch the other out of the corner of their eyes without the other noticing. 

Reaching his car, he unlocked the passenger door and opened it for Miranda.

"Thanks," she whispered climbing in. The butterflies started going faster and crashing around harder.

After a five-minute drive, they reached the Digital Bean and Miranda led them inside.

"Want something to drink?"

"Sure. A," she started.

"Strawberry smoothie," Gordo finished with a grin. 

Miranda snickered, "Yea."

"Why don't you grab a table and I'll get our drinks." 

"Sure," Miranda watched Gordo walk away from her. Her eyes slowly wondering across his retreating backside. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she scolded herself. _"No! I did not just check out Gordo!"_

Miranda picked her way through the crowd and found an empty table. _"What the hell am I doing? Gordo's my best friend, my brother."_ She sat down at an empty table and stared of into space, waiting for Gordo. _"I mean he's not even my type."_

Suddenly, it was like her subconscious was screaming at her. _"What he's too nice? Too sweet? Too loyal?"_

"Shut up," she snapped out loud.

"Say what?"

Miranda jumped in her seat and looked up at an amused looking Gordo watching her. "I wasn't talking to you."

Gordo grinned and was trying his best not to laugh as he put the drinks down on the table. Miranda bit her lip as she felt something stir in her as Gordo grinned at her and she could feel her body temperature shoot up. Grabbing her smoothie, she took a quick gulp off her drink, trying to cool off. 

Gordo took a drink of his chocolate milkshake and watched her. While Miranda thought Gordo was grinning because he had embarrassed her, it was only partially right. Gordo was really grinning because he though she looked cute when she was embarrassed.

She was looking down at the table, her face flush and her hair was slightly hiding her face. Like he had told Lizzie, he was physically attracted to Miranda. Who wouldn't be; but recently the attraction was getting stronger. 

Miranda was starting to feel uncomfortable the longer Gordo watched her. She desperately tried to change the subject, "So…how did you do on the history test?"

A.P. History was one of the two classes, along with Honors English, they had together.

Gordo shrugged, "Ok."

Miranda arched an eyebrow, "Please Gordo. You know you aced it."

Gordo just shrugged again. "How'd you do?"

Letting out a small sigh, she looked down at what was left of her smoothie. "I prolly failed."

"So who's undercutting themselves now?" Gordo reached out, put his hand over hers and gently squeezed it. "Come on. Every time we have a test you think you failed. Stop doubting yourself, your smart, you know this stuff."

Miranda couldn't help but smile. "Thanks goofball," she teased. It was weird; this morning, she was uneasy just seeing him but right now, she was completely comfortable with him.

Realizing he was still holding her hand, he quickly pulled it off and grabbed his cup. For a split second, Miranda frowned but quickly made her face show no emotion.

Both starred into their cups and finished their drinks. After a few minutes of awkward silence, they started talking again.

After about an hour, they left the Digital Bean and Gordo drove Miranda home. The drive home was quiet, both lost in their own thoughts.

After pulling into the Sanchez's driveway, Miranda noticed Gordo started to get agitated about something. He started rubbing the back of his neck as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Umm…Miranda?"

"Yea?" she said pushing the seatbelt back and turning in the seat to face him.

Gordo didn't dare look at her, for fear he would lose his courage. "I was wondering, if you wanted to go the prom with me?" he said all in one breath.

At first Miranda was a bit dumbstruck but quickly recovered. "I thought you didn't want to go?"

Gordo shrugged and slowly looked over at her. "I just don't want to see you disappointed."

"Me disappointed?"

"I know you really want to go and I'm not gonna let you miss out just because some idiot doesn't realize you would be a great date," as he spoke, Gordo trailed off kinda of embarrassed. Quickly looking away, he started to fidget with his seatbelt.

Miranda grinned at him, which made him even more embarrassed. "Gordo." She waited until he was looking at her again before continuing. "I'd love to go with you."

Gordo chuckled nervously and Miranda's grin grew into a smile. Miranda reached into the back and pulled her book bag out and put it on her lap. Reaching over, she opened the door and then paused.

"Gordo," she said softly.

"Yea?"

Miranda turned to him, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks," she said as she got out.

Gordo sat there for a few seconds awe struck and then slowly his lips drew into a smile. Turning back forward, he restarted the engine and prepared to go home.

Miranda slowly walked up the driveway; as she reached the front door she turned around and watched Gordo pull out of the driveway. The smile remained on her face. _"I just keep digging myself deeper and deeper,"_ she thought with a small laugh.

Slowly, she walked inside the house to think. At the moment, she couldn't even remember talking to Danny Kessler; all of her thoughts focused on her best friend.


	4. How Did We Get Here?

Hermione-Granger17 – Danny was in the first 3 or 4 episodes and then got written out for some reason. I've always wondered how Ethan would've turned out if Danny had stayed on the show. Thanks for the compliments. When I write a story, depending on the subject and/or plot, I like to keep it somewhat realistic or plausible. Like that could really happen because of these reasons. 

PinkPrincess1 – I really like your stories and was curious if you were gonna eventually update them.

Sara – Why isn't what finished? I'm not sure what you're asking. As for your 2nd question, Lizzie will have a bigger part in Chapter 5 and in some of the later chapters as well.

A/N – _"Thoughts" _, Some of the dialogue will be in Spanish, in the brackets is the English translation. My Spanish is horrible, so I used an online translator. It should be correct but if there are any mistakes, let me know.

Chapter 4 - How Did We Get Here?

Mrs. Sanchez had just walked into the living room, when the front door opened and Miranda walked inside. Mrs. Sanchez couldn't help but notice the huge smile on Miranda's face as she walked thru the living room.

"Miranda," Mrs. Sanchez called before Miranda walked into the wall.

"Uh?" she said, like she was snapping out of a daydream.

"Something happen at school?" Mrs. Sanchez asked her with a smirk.

Miranda blushed a little, "Someone asked me to the prom."

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Sanchez said quickly walking up to her and hugging her. She knew how important the dance was to her daughter. "Who was it?"

"Gordo," Miranda mumbled real low.

Mrs. Sanchez barely heard her, "Gordo?" She watched in amusement as Miranda's blush got darker and she looked down.

"Yea," Miranda said softly.

"You two together now?" Mrs. Sanchez asked partly to tease her daughter, which was every parents job, but also to test her theory that there was something happening between them.

"Together?" Miranda asked at first a little confused, then she understood what she meant. "No! We're just going as friends. Friends, nothing more, just friends," Miranda rambled.

"Sure honey. Just friends," Mrs. Sanchez couldn't keep the smile off her face. "I'm going to finish dinner."

Miranda nodded, "I'll be in my room."

Mrs. Sanchez watched her daughter walk upstairs. _"It's only a matter of time."_

Miranda walked into her room and laid down on her bed. She was tired, both physically and emotionally. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the pull on her to Gordo. There had always been a connection between the two. They challenged each other, had similar sarcastic senses of humor, and just enjoyed hanging out together. But since the past summer, that pull has been getting stronger.

Gordo is very private with his feelings, especially with negative ones. Everyone knew he had taken the death of his Grandmother hard. But he kept it inside, telling everyone he was fine. Miranda didn't buy it and the night before her funeral, they got into a huge fight.

Miranda knew it was a mix of keeping everything bottled up about his Grandmother and then having to deal with everyone telling him they were sorry.

Whenever Gordo gets angry or upset, he picks a fight, and usually Miranda his is target. He does this because he knows she'll fight back and won't take shit from him.

Miranda and Gordo had been watching television in his room, she had made an off hand comment about the funeral and Gordo snapped at her. Miranda was expecting their usual fight. Starts with snide comments, then moves onto accusations, next is screaming back and forth, and then after awhile, they calm down and apologize.

But Gordo's emotions were all over the place; they went straight to screaming at each other. After a few minutes, Gordo just broke down and started crying, mumbling to himself. Miranda forgot all about their argument and immediately wrapped him in a hug.

They stumbled over to his bed; sat down on the floor leaning back against the bed. Miranda just held him as he finally let everything out. Has he cried on her shoulder, she did the only thing she could think of. Miranda held him in a tight hug while whispering to him that everything would be ok.

Even though Gordo had only cried for a little while, Miranda wasn't going to leave him. They didn't talk the rest of the night; Miranda just held him and Gordo rested his head on her shoulder.

_"The beginning of the end,"_ Miranda mused to herself as she stared up at the ceiling.

Since that night, all the other guys around her lost some of their appeal. She had always compared the guys she dated to how Gordo treated Lizzie when they dated. But now, she was comparing how they looked, the differences in their personalities. Much to her dismay, Gordo would always come out on top.

She groaned as she put her hands over her face. _"Am I really falling for him?"_

Hearing a car pulling into the driveway, she got up and walked over to the window. Looking outside, she watched her father get out of his car and pick up Gabby, who had come charging out of the front door. Miranda smiled, as she watched her father hug her little sister and tickle her.

Walking out of her room, she made it downstairs in time to see her father walk into the kitchen. Stopping in the kitchen archway, she watched her parents interact.

Mr. Sanchez quickly walked up behind his wife and tickled her sides.

Mrs. Sanchez let out a quick yelp in surprise, then scolded her husband. "Eduardo!"

Mr. Sanchez smiled and kissed her. "Mi esposa hermosa (My beautiful wife)"

"El hablar del dulce de la subsistencia, (Keep sweet talking,)" Mrs. Sanchez teased him.

Swiping a piece of chicken, that Mrs. Sanchez was preparing for dinner, he popped it in his mouth and grinned. Mrs. Sanchez mock glared at him, "El su ir a estropear su apetito. (You're going to spoil your appetite.)" She then shooed him out of the kitchen, "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, go wash your hands. Vamanos!"

Miranda laughed softly at her parents. As her dad passed her, he gave her a quick peck on the top of the head. "Hola Miranda."

"Hola Papá."

Miranda leaned against the archway, thinking. She replayed every moment of her parents she could think of; the arguments, the teasing, the romantic moments. _"Aide from the romantic stuff, they act a lot like Gordo and me."_ She didn't even realize she was smiling until her mother caught her.

"Hija," Mrs. Sanchez called to her, grinning smugly. "Its time for dinner."

Miranda just nodded and quickly slipped into her seat, looking down, trying to hide the blush that crept on her face.

During dinner, Miranda watched as her parents interacted. She was comparing them to her and Gordo and it scared her how similar they were. _"Is this real or am I in some twisted dream."_


	5. Too Late

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 5 – Too Late

It was Tuesday afternoon and the final bell had rung, releasing the students for the day.

Miranda picked her way through the crowds, heading towards her locker. While today had been better than yesterday, it still took a lot of her control to not be distracted by Gordo.

Sighing, she reached her locker and spun in the combination. Just as she opened it, Lizzie and Kate came walking over.

Long story short, Kate and Miranda's relationship was like a cease-fire. Ever since Rome, Kate and Lizzie had slowly repaired their friendship and were friends again. So for the sake of their mutual friend, the two girls decided to at least be civil to each other. After a few years, it slowly grew to an acceptance of the other and while they didn't hang out together alone, they at least got along when they were together.

"Hey Miranda," Lizzie said walking up.

"Hola chica," Miranda said to her. "Hey Kate."

"Hey," Kate answered softly.

"Umm, Miranda. I need to know if you're still in for the limo. I need to send in the money by Thursday and if you're not, then I need to find someone else." Lizzie didn't want to anger her friend again but really needed an answer.

A small smile appeared on Miranda's face. "Yea. I'm in."

Lizzie titled her head slightly and slowly smiled. "So you got a date?" she asked cautiously.

"Yea."

Lizzie was about to ask who but was interrupted. "Miranda," a male voice called out through the crowd.

All three girls turned towards the sound of the voice and watched Danny Kessler walk up to them.

"Hi Danny." All three girls said to him as he walked up.

"Ladies," Danny said back and then turned his attention to Miranda. "You're looking hot."

"Thanks," Miranda spooked herself at how easy that came out. Usually she giggled or played with her hair, some kind of girly nervous tick. But this time, there was nothing.

"I wanted to know if you want to go to the prom with me?" Danny asked with a cocky smile. He thought it was already in the bag.

"Sorry Danny but I already have a date," Miranda told him as she closed her locker.

Danny had a look of complete surprise on his face. "Who?"

"David asked me yesterday."

"Ok?" he said, confused. Danny walked away dazed, completely at a lost. No girl had ever turned him down before.

Lizzie grinned and Kate had a confused looked on her face. "You turned down Danny?" Kate asked in surprise. "The way you've been drooling over him for the past few years, I thought you would've jumped at being his date."

Miranda just shrugged and the trio started to walk towards the doors. "Yea, well, my crush on Danny was purely physical. I want to be with someone who as more than just good looks."

"Like Gordo," Lizzie snickered.

Miranda choked slightly. "I…I didn't say that. Any guy. Me and Gordo are just friends."

Lizzie just smiled and nodded.

Walking outside, they headed towards the student parking lot. After Kate told them goodbye and left to catch a ride with her boyfriend Ethan, Lizzie started grilling Miranda about Gordo.

"So you turn down the guy you've had a huge crush on for years, just so you can go with your best friend. Yea I believe that," Lizzie told her as they walked towards Miranda's parents' car, that they let her borrow.

"What's so hard to believe? It has nothing to do with who I like. Gordo asked me first and he was sweet about it. I'm not going to tell him the next day, that I don't want to go with him anymore just because Danny asked me."

Lizzie leaned against the passenger side of the Sanchez's car and looked over at Miranda. "So you're telling me that you're only going with Gordo because he's your friend and you agreed to be his date first?"

"Yes,." Miranda said exasperated. "We take advantage of him enough as it is," Miranda said looking Lizzie straight in the eyes.

Lizzie thought about it for a moment. "Yea." She reluctantly agreed that they did take Gordo for granted too often. "But I still think you like him," she added with a small grin.

Miranda rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. "I don't like Gordo like that," she said climbing inside the car. "He's like a brother to me."

Lizzie already sitting in the passenger seat, looked at her. "Sure. You keep saying that and maybe, just maybe, you'll actually start to believe it."

Miranda started to open her mouth to snap back but then closed it quickly. Starting the engine, she pulled out of the parking lot. She was trying to believe what she was saying, but Lizzie comments were starting to hit to close for her comfort. Miranda knew she was just baiting Lizzie with everything she tried to say and that it would be better if she just shut up, though she didn't want to.


	6. Clear My Head

A/N - _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 6 – Clear My Head

Gordo sat at his desk, with his feet propped up on it, staring out into space. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes. A small smile tugged at his lips as an image of a certain brunette appeared.

Letting out a tired sigh, he rubbed his face with a hand. _"Why can't I get her out of my head!"_ All week he couldn't focus on anything without his mind wondering to Miranda.

The past few months, Gordo knew his relationship with Miranda was changing. He tried to ignore it but the kiss on Monday, even though it was only on the cheek, cemented it. He was falling for her.

Gordo rubbed his face. _"Why can't I fall for someone who isn't my best friend?"_ he joked to himself.

Sitting up, he ran a hand through his hair. _"I gotta get out of here. Do something to get my mind off of it."_

Throwing on a pair of sneakers, he walked out of his room and eventually out of the house. Reaching the street, he headed towards the park. It was a few minutes walk from his house.

Reaching the park, Gordo started wondering along the main path, not really heading anywhere specific.

After a few minutes, he found himself heading towards the basketball courts. Reaching the edge of the courts, he started to watch the game that was currently going on.

Gordo instantly recognized the tall blonde on the skins team. He watched Ethan grab a rebound, dribble once, and lay the ball back in.

As the teams raced to the other end, he spotted someone lagging behind and gasping for breath. Gordo grinned as he recognized him too. _"Tudge,"_ he thought with a laugh and a shake of the head.

During their freshman year, these three completely different guys somehow became friends. Each guy had his own reasons. It gave Gordo some close guy friends to counter the overload of estrogen from his best friends. Larry had what he called cool friends who didn't care about his little quirks. For Ethan, it gave him some real friends, not someone was only friend with him because of what he could do for them. Plus, in surprise to at least Larry and Gordo, they had fun hanging out together.

As the other team scored, Gordo yelled out to Larry. "Larry! You wanna sub?"

Larry gave him an extremely grateful look and dragged himself over to the sideline. Gordo took off his shirt and tossed it on the bench, next to where Larry was doubled over trying to catch his breath.

The game paused, waiting for Larry and Gordo to switch. As Gordo walked onto the court one of the guys from the shirts team snickered. "Better be careful tiny, I might run you over."

Gordo looked at him up and down, sizing him up. "You gotta catch me first," he answered with a grin.

Ethan stood out of bounds under the hoop with the ball and grinned. "Gordon." Passing Gordo the ball, Ethan ran up the court.

Catching the ball, he turned around and dribbled up-court. Meeting him at mid-court was the jerk. "Come on little man. Let's see what you got." 

Gordo just grinned. He slowly dribbled towards the basket, slowly backing up his opponent. Reaching the top of the key, Gordo faked a pass to a teammate that got the other guy off balanced. Immediately, Gordo jumped and shot a jump shot.

As the ball swished through the net, Gordo pointed at him. "I aim to please."

The next few possessions, Gordo did the same thing, he showed him up.

On the following possession, the guy, completely frustrated by Gordo, waited until Gordo just made his cut to the hoop and forearmed Gordo in the face.

All Gordo knew was one minute he was heading towards the hoop and the next it felt like someone had tried to decapitate him. He didn't even feel crashing into ground, just the searing pain shooting through his head.

"Aw poor ba," the guy started to mock but before he could finish, Ethan decked him.

Ethan gently rubbed his fist and watched as the guy's nose bled. "You ever try a cheap shot like that again and I'll do more than break your nose," Ethan growled.

As Larry rushed the court, Ethan watched as the guy and his friends left. Turning around, he jogged over to where Larry was helping a disoriented Gordo sit up.

"You ok Gordon?" Ethan asked as he knelt down next to him.

"My head still attached?" Gordo joked as he held his head.

"Easy Gordo," Larry warned.

Gordo blinked a few times, trying to clear out the cobwebs. Gently touching his lip, he pulled his hand back to reveal blood. "How bad is it?" he asked still not completely sure how bad he was hurt.

Larry looked him over for a minute. "You lip's cut open but drying, you're gonna have a bruise under your left eye, and you may have a concussion. Other than that, nothing major."

Gordo laughed shakily. "Yea. Nothing major."

After Larry and Ethan helped him to his feet, the guys who were still there patted him on the back and some told him the guy was an asshole.

"I've had enough for today," Gordo said stretching his back and rubbing the back of his head.

"You want me to give you a ride home man?" Ethan asked.

"Nah. I'm okay. I'm a little groggy but ok. I talk to you guys later," Gordo walked over to the bench and put his shirt back on.

"See ya Gordon."

"Bye Gordo."

Gordo waved bye to his friends and walked down the path. As he walked, the pounding pain in his head lessened to a throbbing pain.

He chuckled softly as he gently touched the bump that was forming on his head. _"This is the last time I play basketball without a helmet."_


	7. Nurse Miranda

To my readers and reviewers – Thanks for the reviews and reading this. If anyone as any questions about this or any other story I've done, just ask. My answer may not make sense but I'll give you one, lol.

checksumoners – About the yearbook and Rome kisses, Lizzie and Gordo have already dated and broken up. This story is set towards the end of the trio's junior year. The thinking in my head is that they broke up late sophomore year, which gives another reason why Gordo would turn more to Miranda when his Grandmother died over the summer. By the beginning of this story, Lizzie and Gordo are back to being best friends and have put their relationship behind them. I will touch on the fact that they did go out a few times in the upcoming chapters.

I3itterSweet – The last chapter was to set up this chapter. I also wanted to do something form Gordo's perspective and it gave me an excuse to throw in Larry and Ethan.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 7 – Nurse Miranda

Gordo walked down the street with his head down and wiping away some of the dried blood off his face. "_I go to the park to get my mind off Miranda and I end up getting my head handed to me."_

The pain was still there but it was lessening and his lip had stopped bleeding. He was pretty sure the bruise under his eye was starting to show though.

As he was walking, he heard her call his name. "Gordo."

Lifting his head up, he found himself in front of the Sanchez's. Looking over at the driveway, he saw a concerned looking Miranda walking towards him.

"Hey Miranda. What's up?" he said nonchalantly, trying to hide his injuries.

Miranda had already seen them. "What happened?" she asked studying his face.

Gordo laughed softly, "I was playing basketball."

"And what did you do, try and catch the ball with your face?" Miranda snapped at him.

"Miranda I'm fine."

"No you're not." Miranda grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her. "Come on, let's clean you up." Miranda ordered.

Gordo reluctantly let her drag him inside the house.

Miranda pulled him into the bathroom. "Sit." Putting her hands on his shoulders, she pushed him down and sat him on the edge of the bathtub.

Reaching into the linen closet, she pulled out a washcloth and wet it in the sink.

"Miranda…I can…wash…my own…face," he stammered as Miranda passed the washcloth over his face.

It was weird. Part of him was annoyed that Miranda had dragged him inside in the first place and then was treating him like a baby. But another side of him loved the attention she was giving him.

Finishing, Miranda stepped back and Gordo wiped his hand across his damp face. "Thanks."

"Sure." As Gordo was wiping his face, his shirt shifted and Miranda saw blood on Gordo's chest. "You've got blood on your chest." Without really thinking, she grabbed his shirt and started to pull it off. After a few minutes of wrestling with Gordo to get his shirt off, Gordo reluctantly let her take it off him.

For a few moments they just stood there, both slightly blushing, and both feeling like the temperature in the room jumped a hundred degrees.

Pushing it aside, Miranda touched his chest with the washcloth. She almost jumped out of her skin and let out a soft whimper as Gordo took in a sharp intake of breath.

"It…Its cold," Gordo lied. Miranda just nodded and continued cleaning off his chest.

Something drew Gordo's eyes to her's. Miranda could feel his stare and was doing her best not to meet his gaze, even though it felt like a magnet.

After what felt like an eternity, Miranda finished and stepped back. Tossing the washcloth on the edge of the tub, she used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Is it hot in here?" she asked softly.

"Ye…Yea," Gordo answered.

Miranda felt like she was going to pass out. Quickly walking out of the bathroom, she started taking deep breaths.

Gordo closed his eyes and pulled his shirt back on. Standing up, he tried hard to ignore his body's protest to take Miranda on the bathroom floor.

Following her out into the hall, they stood in an uneasy silence and both tried their best not to look at each other.

"Thanks Rand."

"Don't mention it."

They both turned to walk away, Gordo heading towards the door and Miranda towards the kitchen. Unfortunately they ended up facing each other, their eyes locking.

Both felt a shiver run down their spines. They both seemed to go on autopilot and took a step towards each other, closing the already small gap. As they both started to slowly lean in, they were interrupted.

"Miranda!" Gabby yelled as she ran down the stairs.

Miranda and Gordo literally jumped away from each other. Gabby came sprinting in between them and into the living room. "Mommy wants you!" she yelled in passing. Gabby jumped on the couch and turned on the TV so she could watch cartoons.

"I…I gotta go see what my mom wants," Miranda said not being able to tear her eyes away from his.

"Yea."

Neither moved for a few minutes.

Without giving it a second thought, Gordo leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks," he whispered to her and then quickly walked around her and out the door.

Miranda stood there for a few minutes, a little stunned. Recovering, she touched her cheek and a small smile appeared on her face.

"Miranda?" Mrs. Sanchez called from upstairs, snapping Miranda out of her daze.

Shaking her head, she slowly walked towards the stairs. "Coming."


	8. Sisters

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 8 – Sisters

Lizzie and Miranda had just picked up their prom dresses and were now sitting in Lizzie's bedroom going though some jewelry, looking for something to wear.

It had been a long couple of weeks. Lizzie watched as the tension between the two of them seemed to be rapidly increasing. She was trying her best to push them together without directly getting involved, but it was getting increasingly frustrating watching Miranda and Gordo try and avoid their feelings.

Lizzie, who was sitting indian style on her bed, turned around so she was facing Miranda. She was sitting at Lizzie's makeup table, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

Miranda frowned as she pulled her black hair back. For the past few weeks she had been racking her brain trying to figure out why Gordo would even be attracted to her, if he was at all. It was strange because she never really thought about it before, but with Gordo, her brain kept asking why.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Lizzie asked her.

Miranda shrugged. "I wonder what I would look like with blonde hair." 

Lizzie arched an eyebrow, "Why? You have a great hair."

"No I don't. It's the color of mud. In all the magazines, all the pretty girls are blonde and have blue eyes."

Lizzie bit her lip as she tried not to snicker. "Come on Miranda. You're very pretty and Gordo doesn't care about your hair color. Actually, I think he likes it."

Miranda just shrugged again. Getting up, she walked over to the bed and sat down on the end. Searching around in one of the jewelry boxes for a moment, she pulled out a pair of dangling earrings.

Lizzie watched as Miranda spaced out again, staring at the earrings in her hands.

"What's so bad about liking Gordo?" Lizzie asked bluntly, she was tired of trying to be covert. "I mean I did."

Without looking up, Miranda answered. "Nothing really. Its just a little weird going from strictly platonic to something else."

Lizzie snorted and tried to bite back a laugh. "Strictly platonic?" she asked sarcastically.

"Yea," Miranda said, slowly looking up.

"From the first day you two met, the sparks have been flying," Lizzie told her, trying not to laugh. Taking in Miranda's look of disbelief, Lizzie smiled. "Look. With Gordo and me it was like a smoldering fire, slowly building over time. Until one day, it lit. With you two, it's like a raging out of control forest fire. When you two talk, and especially when you two bicker, you flirt. Heck if I can see the sexual tension, anyone can."

"Whatever," Miranda said as she stood up quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment. She slowly started to pace around the room.

Lizzie's smile grew wider. _"She's agitated. I've hit home."_

"I…I can't date Gordo," she stammered.

"Why not?"

"Be…Because he's your ex. Yea. Best friends don't date each other's exes," Miranda said gesturing wildly with her hands.

"Says who?" Lizzie asked.

Miranda continued to pace, "It's the unwritten laws of best friends."

_"Where does she come up with this stuff?"_ Lizzie snickered, "Fine, then I give you permission to date Gordo. Got any other excuses?"

Miranda's jaw twitched slightly. "Why did it have to be him?" she muttered under her breath.

Lizzie heard her though, "So you do like him."

"No!" Miranda snapped defensively. Miranda looked at Lizzie and met her gaze. After a few minutes, Miranda let out a defeated sigh and sat back down on the bed. "Maybe." she whispered under her breath.

Lizzie let out a loud squeal. "I knew it!" she shouted.

"Shh! I don't think Mrs. Gregor down the street heard you," Miranda snapped.

Lizzie jumped off the bed and rushed towards the door, closing it. "Ok. Now we're getting somewhere," she said as she sat back down on the bed.

Miranda rolled her eyes and wiped her mouth. "I don't know what I feel for him. Its just,"

"You feel this tug every time you think of him or are near him," Lizzie finished for her.

"Yea," Miranda laid down on her side.

"Why don't you tell him that?"

"Things are awkward enough as it is. If I tell him that, I'll look like an idiot and things will never go back to normal." Miranda ran a hand through her hair. "No. I won't do anything until I'm positive he feels the same way."

Lizzie let out a grown and flopped down on her bed. _"All that progress!"_ Letting out a defeated sigh, she sat up. "Fine. Then at the very least you're gonna make him drool over you."

"What do you mean?"

Lizzie grinned, "I'm gonna make you drop dead gorgeous and by the end of the prom you're gonna have Gordo eating out of your hand." She jumped off the bed and walked to her dresser.

Returning, she had a small jewelry box in her hand. "Here," she said handing Miranda the box. "Wear these with your dress."

Miranda opened the box. "I can't wear these, they're your grandmother's diamond earrings. You were going to wear them."

"I'm just letting you borrow them," Lizzie joked. "Besides, I can wear my Mom's and you'll look terrific in them."

"Thank you," she said softly with a small smile and her eyes started to tear a little. Miranda sat up and hugged Lizzie "I owe you big for this."

"Just tell Gordo how you feel," Lizzie simply stated.

Miranda let out a breath and looked at the earrings. "Easier said than done."


	9. Going To The Ball

supergirljen – Thanks for helping me on Lizzie and Miranda's descriptions.

hockeylover – Wow, thanks. I appreciate the compliment. While I like L/Gs and most other straight Gordo couplings, M/Gs are my favorites to write and read. I think a lot of liking a certain coupling as to do with how its written, I'd rather read a well written K/G than a badly written L/G. Also, some of its personal preference. Like if I was Gordo, I'd be more attracted to Miranda than Lizzie, and not just physically. Miranda is more of the type of girl I'd be interested in. I think both girls bring out different things in him. Lizzie seems to complement him while Miranda seems to challenge him and vice versa. The one thing that really bothered me was when people/fans said Gordo wouldn't be attracted to Miranda. Please, Gordo is still a guy and Miranda is very pretty. My friends and me were once talking about how a guy is usually at the very least physically attracted to his female friends. He may never act on those feelings but they are there. That's how I see Gordo's feelings towards Miranda, they're there but at the moment (post-movie) they're overshadowed by his feelings towards Lizzie. On the other side, I think at some point, Miranda did or will have a crush on Gordo. They're too close for some romantic feelings not to pop up, especially from a small case of jealousy about how Gordo would treat Lizzie when/if they dated post-movie. I could prolly ramble on about this for awhile but I'll stop there. Again, thanks for the compliment.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 9 – Going To The Ball

Gordo stood in the McGuire's backyard thinking. It was the night of the prom and Kyle and him were picking up the girls here. Since the girls needed a few more minutes to get ready, Gordo decided to get some air.

The closer the Prom came, the more nervous he got. Actually he wasn't really nervous, more anxious.

Every time he was around Miranda, his stomach would tie into knots and his mouth would go dry. It took all of his control to act as normal as possible around her. Ever since the bathroom incident, he had this incredible urge to grab her, run his hands through her hair, and kiss her.

Letting out a deep breath he tried to clear his head. His brain and heart were at war. His brain was telling him that this was a bad idea that they need to stay friends. But his heart was fighting back telling him to take her now and never let go.

As Matt walked out onto the porch, he grinned as he watched Gordo walking around the backyard talking to himself.

"Gordo," Matt called to him. He waited until he was looking at him. "There ready."

Taking another deep breath, to steady himself, he walked over to the picnic table on the deck. On top of the table, were a corsage and a white tulip.

Picking up the corsage and tulip, a small smile formed. Normally, you would give the girl a rose but he knew that Miranda's favorite flower was white tulips. When he had gone to the flower shop to buy her the corsage, he had seen the tulips and something in the back of his head told him to buy one.

Walking inside, he saw Lizzie and Kyle posing for pictures for the McGuire's. He chuckled as he approached.

Lizzie's dress was light blue; similar to a clear sky. The dress, while not too form fitting, showed her figure beautifully. It tied around her neck, leaving her back uncovered until it scooped around her lower back, and the skirt flared out at the end just around her ankles. Her hair was elegantly pinned up in the back with a few stray tendrils, framing her face. She was wearing a pair of dangling, earrings with diamonds surrounded by light, blue sapphires and a simple gold necklace.

Lizzie saw him and smiled. "You clean up nice Gordo," she teased him. 

Gordo grinned back and stopped a few inches away from her "You don't look so bad yourself McGuire," he shot back. "Seriously, you look beautiful," he said hugging her.

Lizzie grin widened, "You haven't seen anything yet," she whispered into his ear

Pulling back, Gordo titled his head slightly and looked at her confused. "What are you," But before he could ask his question, he was interrupted by someone behind him.

"Gordo," Miranda called softly.

Her voice brought a small and unexpected smile to Gordo's face. He started to turn around to look at her. "Hi Mir..." he trailed off as he saw her. His jaw practically hit the floor in amazement as he stared at her.

Miranda's dress was crimson with spaghetti straps and the neckline fell just low enough to give him a glimpse of her chest. To help her walk, there was a slit up the back up to her knees. The dress was form fitting, and in Gordo's opinion, amazingly showed off her figure. Miranda's raven hair formed soft waves as it cascaded down to her shoulders. The diamond earrings glistened in the light and around her neck hung the necklace with the music note pendant.

Gordo smiled but couldn't think straight. "Wow."

Everyone watched in amusement as Miranda and Gordo seemed to enter their own little world. After a few minutes, Matt casually walked by and elbowed Gordo in the ribs.

"Oomph." Gordo quickly shook his head, trying to restart his brain. Slowly walking over to her, his eyes never left hers. "Here," he said handing her the tulip.

Gordo felt his lips curl into another smile when Miranda smiled as she took the flower. "A white tulip," she whispered in almost disbelief. "Thank you."

Gordo laughed nervously, a little embarrassed.

After handing the flower off to her mother, she looked back at Gordo and saw the corsage container. After a few more seconds of Gordo just staring mindlessly at her, "That for me?" she asked pointing at the container.

"Uh?" He looked down at the container in his hands and felt stupid for forgetting about it. "Uh…yea." He then tried to open it but it wouldn't. "Open damn it, open."

Miranda couldn't help but giggle as she watched Gordo. _"Oh my god! Did I just giggle?"_

Finally Gordo got the container open and took out the corsage. Miranda extended her arm and Gordo gently took her wrist and attached it. Gordo's fingers lingered on Miranda's arm and she felt goosebumps rise.

Mrs. Sanchez coughed; getting Miranda's attention, she handed her Gordo's boutonniere. Miranda attached it to the lapel of Gordo's tuxedo jacket. As she folded the lapel back down, Miranda gently ran her fingers up and down the jacket, smoothing out imaginary wrinkles.

Mrs. Sanchez watched them with a smug smile, "Come on you two, I want a picture."

"Mom," Miranda hissed, embarrassed.

"Come on honey."

Miranda stood in front of Gordo, who very lightly wrapped one arm around her waist. For both it was very awkward but at the same time addictive. After a few pictures, Miranda leaned back into him and Gordo tighten his hold around her waist.

After what felt like a hundred pictures, it was finally time to go. Miranda and Gordo slowly walked out of the house, arm in arm, towards the limo waiting parked on the street.

Once inside, Miranda, Lizzie, and Kyle started exploring the limo while Gordo stretched out in one of the large seats.

After a few minutes, they settled down and sat down. As Lizzie and Kyle were playing with the sunroof, Miranda sat down next to Gordo and was looking out the window.

Gordo just watched her and couldn't keep the smile off his face. Miranda eventually looked over and caught him looking at her. They both quickly looked down at the floor, with identical embarrassed smiles.

After a few minutes, the limo pulled up in front of Regal Hotel. The Hill Ridge Junior Prom was to be held in its ballroom.

Kyle and Lizzie were first out of the limo, followed by Gordo. As Kyle and Lizzie walked into the Hotel, Gordo waited for Miranda.

Miranda took Gordo's hand, which he offered, and he helped her out of the limo. She slipped her arm around his and they walked into the Hotel.

Lizzie was waiting for them in the lobby with Kyle and watched with a smile as Gordo and Miranda walked in. _"They look so cute together. If they don't get together, I will so beat them."_


	10. A Magical Night

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 10 - A Magical Night

As Lizzie and Kyle were dancing, she casually looked over and saw Miranda and Gordo dancing a few feet away. She couldn't help but smile at how they were acting. Gordo was stiff with Miranda's arms around his neck and she was moving awkwardly with his hands on her hips. But the way they were looking at each other was intense.

As one slow song ended and another started, "Kyle do you mind if I danced with Gordo?" Lizzie asked her date.

Kyle grinned a little. "Sure. Go ahead," he answered as he let go of her waist.

Lizzie smiled at him and walked over to Gordo and Miranda. Tapping Miranda's shoulder, "Can I cut in?"

"Sure. I need a break anyway," Miranda said, stepping back.

Lizzie watched as Miranda was walking back to their table, Miranda's eyes never leaving Gordo.

As Lizzie and Gordo started dancing, Lizzie grinned at him. "You like her," she told him in smug voice. Gordo blushed slightly and Lizzie laughed at him. "Oh you've got it bad Gordo."

"Shut up," Gordo said sarcastically with a half-grin. As the grin disappeared he looked at Lizzie, "You're ok with…with whatever this is?"

Lizzie chuckled softly and nodded. "We had our chance and it didn't work out. We're better of as friends anyways, we're just too close. I want to see both of you happy and if that's with each other, then I'm fine with it."

As the song ended, Gordo drew Lizzie in for a hug. "Thanks."

"Looks like someone's getting jealous," Lizzie whispered to him and motioned with her chin over his shoulder.

Gordo looked over his shoulder and his eyes met a pair of black ones. Gordo quickly looked back at Lizzie.

"Go," she ordered him with a smile. Gordo grinned and walked over to their table.

Miranda watched him approach and knew there was a small smile on her face, but she couldn't make it go away. "Hey," she said softly as he sat down next to her.

"Hey." As he sat down, Gordo's hands started to fidget.

Miranda saw this and her smile widened. _"He's nervous."_

As they sat there, they started talking and teasing each other, like they normally do. They both slowly started to feel more comfortable around each other; the awkward romantic tension never really leaving but lessening. They didn't even realize how long they had been sitting there until Lizzie sat down on Gordo's other side. "Are you two gonna talk all night?"

Gordo grinned shyly. He was much more relaxed then he had been earlier in the night. "Would you like to dance?"

_"Always the perfect gentlemen."_ Miranda thought as she nodded. As they stood up and walked towards the dance floor, _"I wonder what the bad Gordo is like?"_ The idea of Gordo trying to be bad caused her to snicker as she remembered back in eighth grade when they went to Kate's birthday party.

This time as they danced, they were much closer. Both had their arms wrapped around the other's waist and pressed up lightly against each other. After a few songs, Miranda moved in closer and she rested her head on Gordo's shoulder. Gordo could feel her breath on his neck and it sent shivers down his spine.

As they slowly swayed to the music, they were lost in their own little world again. They were so caught up in the moment that they didn't even notice the song had ended.

Kate, who was snuggled up into Ethan's side with his arm around her, made their way through the crowd when they came upon the oblivious couple. With a small smile, she gently shoved Miranda's shoulder and laughed at the scowl on her face as they came back to reality.

Miranda looked at her confused and Kate just grinned back. "Get a room you two," she teased but there was no source of malice in her voice.

Miranda grinned a little as she watched Kate and Ethan walk away. Turning back to Gordo, she felt a hand brush some hair off her shoulder.

"Rand?" Gordo called softly.

"I wanted to say this earlier but," Gordo looked down, his face flushed.

"What is it Gordo?" Miranda asked and without thinking, reached out and took his hand. She instantly felt a rush as Gordo smiled at her touch.

His eyes slowly lifted up and met hers. "You really do look amazing tonight."

Miranda felt as though her whole body was blushing. "Thanks," she said in an almost stage whisper.

The rest of the night seemed to be a blur to Miranda and Gordo. Miranda danced a few times with Ethan and Larry, and once with Kyle. While Gordo danced with Lizzie and Kate. But for most of the night, Miranda and Gordo were together, lost in their own little world.

As the last song played, Miranda felt like she was walking on air. Her face was practically nuzzling Gordo's neck. She was starting to become addicted to his musky scent. Letting out a small content sigh, she snuggled closer to him.

As the final song ended, they desperately wanted to hang onto the moment and just stood there in each other's arms for a few minutes. Finally relenting, they stepped away from each other but kept their hands intertwined.

Slowly walking over to the table, they saw Lizzie watching them with a big smile. "The lovebirds ready to go?" Lizzie teased them.

Miranda rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the blush on tips of her ears or her smile. "So are we going to Kate's party?"

"Me and Kyle are," Lizzie answered and then turned to Gordo. "Gordo?"

"If Miranda wants to, I'll go."

As they walked out of the ballroom and through the lobby, Miranda and Lizzie were a few steps ahead of the guys.

"You have fun?" Lizzie leaned in and asked with a grin.

A small grin appeared on her face and she glanced back at Gordo. Their eyes met and they shared a smile. Turning back to Lizzie, "Its something I'll never forget."


	11. You Don't Fall, You Trip

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 11 – You Don't Fall, You Trip

Around two in the morning, Lizzie, Miranda, and Gordo came back to McGuire' s. Instead of them each going to their own homes, they were going to crash in the McGuire's living room and then help Lizzie set up for her after-prom party in the afternoon.

Lizzie and Miranda walked upstairs to Lizzie's bedroom, to change in hers and Matt's bathroom, while Gordo changed in the downstairs bathroom.

As Lizzie was washing her makeup off in the bathroom, Miranda was in the bedroom carefully changing out of her dress and into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Putting it up on its hangover, she smiled as she looked at the dress. Gordo's first expression would be forever engrained in her memory. She had never caused anyone to stop dead in their tracks and just stare at her and the fact it was Gordo, made it special to her.

Lizzie's plan had worked perfectly but Miranda hadn't counted on doing the same thing when she saw Gordo in his tux.

Carefully taking out the diamond earrings and putting them in the box, Miranda put the box on top of Lizzie's dresser.

"Bathroom's free," Lizzie called to her. As she walked out of the bathroom, she couldn't help put notice the huge smile on Miranda's face. "How much longer are you gonna be walking around with that stupid goofy smile?" Lizzie teased her.

Miranda just shrugged as she walked into the bathroom.

A half an hour later, they were back in the living room unrolling their sleeping bags.

Lizzie had claimed one of the couches and was laying on it, using her sleeping bag as a blanket. She watched Miranda and Gordo lay down in their sleeping bags on the floor next to the couch.

Miranda immediately fell asleep but Gordo just laid there watched her, and unknown to him, Lizzie was watching him.

As Gordo watched her sleep, she rolled over onto her side facing Gordo and some strands of hair fell across her face. Gordo reached out and gently brushed the hair out of her face and behind her neck.

A small smile appeared on Miranda's sleeping face and almost on reflex, Gordo gently trailed his fingertips across her cheek. As Miranda made a soft whimper at his touch, Gordo quickly pulled his hand away but couldn't keep the small grin off his own face.

Reaching out again, Gordo grabbed the top of her sleeping bag and pulled it up to her shoulder.

As Gordo fell asleep, Lizzie shook her head. _"These two are so crushing on each other its sickening,"_ she thought to herself with a chuckle. Pulling her sleeping bag up, she looked down at them one last time. _"I am gonna make those two get together tomorrow, even if I have to lock them in the basement."_

All too soon, morning came. With a yawn, Gordo slowly opened his eyes and found himself lying on his back.

Looking up, he saw Lizzie, sitting Indian style on the couch above him, looking back at him with a grin.

"What?" he asked as he took one hand and wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

Lizzie just continued to grin at him but before he could ask again, he felt something tug on his other arm.

At the same time he looked over, Miranda woke up and opened her eyes. For a brief moment they looked at each other and then their eyes went wide in surprise.

During the night, Miranda and Gordo had moved closer to each other. While Gordo was on his back, Miranda had stayed on her side. With her top arm, she had death grip on Gordo's wrist and her head was resting against his bicep.

Miranda quickly let go of his arm and they slid a few feet away from each other.

Lizzie stood up and shook her head. "You two are hopeless," she said walking towards the downstairs bathroom.

Gordo tossed his sleeping bag open and stood up. He opened his mouth to say something and took a step forward but his feet tangled in the bag and he tripped.

Miranda watched him stumble forward and then start falling; he was going to fall right on top of her. Falling onto her back as she tried to get out of the way, she closed her eyes, turned her head, tensed her body, and put her hands up in anticipation of the crash.

After a few seconds and no impact, she slowly opened her eyes and turned her head back. Gordo had fallen into a pushup position with his hands at either side of her neck and his body was just hovering above hers.

As they looked at each other, they seemed to act on instinct. Miranda reached her hands forward and ran them up his chest and around the back of his neck. Gordo slowly lowered his body on top of hers and moved from his hands to his forearms. Closing their eyes, Gordo slowly lowered his head and their lips were coming together.

Just before their lips met, Mrs. McGuire walked into the kitchen and Matt followed seconds later.

"Mom! What's for breakfast?" Matt yelled.

Gordo quickly rolled off her and a few feet away. As they stared at each other, both were breathing hard and their faces were bright red.

Mrs. McGuire walked into the living room and regarded them cautiously. _"Daniella was right,"_ Mrs. McGuire tried to keep a straight face, "You two want pancakes for breakfast?"

Gordo quickly stood up "Yea, sure. Thanks Mrs. McGuire," he said rapidly as he quickly backed up out of the living room.

Mrs. McGuire watched him and then turned back to Miranda. "Everything alright?"

"Yea. Just fine," Miranda answered standing up.

Mrs. McGuire watched Miranda head towards Lizzie's room. _"Daniella is gonna love this,"_ she thought amused. Miranda's mom had told her and Roberta, Gordo's mom, a few days ago that something was happening between them. _"If it's not Lizzie, Gordo couldn't pick anyone better than Miranda." _


	12. The Boy Is Mine

Pistons are NBA Champions! They kicked the Lakers' ass! I love it!

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

A/N 2 – Due tothe crackdown on lyrics in fics, I've edited this and taken out the song lyrics.

Chapter 12 – The Boy Is Mine

Miranda stood on the McGuire's patio and slowly scanned around the backyard. Their group of friends were scattered around the yard. She spotted Kyle, Ethan, Kate, and another girl with her back to Miranda. The girl turned slightly and was staring at something.

Miranda immediately recognized her when she turned. _"Claire! What the hell is she doing here?"_ She noticed her staring intently at something and slightly biting her lip. Out of curiosity, she followed her line of sight and choked back a laugh when she saw what she looking at.

It was Larry, her ex-boyfriend. They had dated for a few months in their beginning of sophomore year. Gordo had set them up on a blind date, or rather according to Gordo, Lizzie made him set them up. But they were now just friends.

_"I can't believe Claire has a crush on Larry,"_ she thought trying to fight back a laugh. It wasn't that she didn't think someone could have a crush on Larry. Rather, what she found funny was that Claire, the high and mighty snob, had a crush on a guy she said was the biggest loser in the school. _"Oh the irony."_ As soon as she thought that, she smiled to herself as she realized where it came from. _"Gordo is really starting to wear off on me,"_ she thought sarcastically.

Miranda returned to scanning the crowd and eventually looked over at the tree in the back corner of yard. She saw him standing against the trunk, looking into his soda can. _"Why does he have to be so damn cute?"_ Sighing, she turned around and walked into the kitchen to get a soda of her own.

Lizzie quickly walked in and found her standing at the counter. "Miranda."

Hearing her name, she turning around and saw Lizzie walk up to her. "What?"

"Kate just told me Parker is here."

Miranda looked at her like she was crazy. "So?"

"She's here to see Gordo," Lizzie told her.

Miranda's jaw clenched and she stormed outside. Lizzie caught up to her on the patio as Miranda was scanning the backyard looking for them.

Parker has had a thing for Gordo ever since 8th grade when she realized her mistake at turning him down because he was short. Unfortunately, by the time she realized this, it was too late, he was with Lizzie. But ever since they broke up near the end of sophomore year, she had been circling him like a buzzard would a dead animal, waiting for her moment.

She obviously thought that that moment was now. But Miranda would be damned if she was going to let Gordo go without a fight.

Finding them at the tree where she saw Gordo at earlier, she started to head towards them but Lizzie stopped her for a minute. "Don't kill her," Lizzie whispered to her; half in jest and half serious.

Miranda just grunted and when Lizzie let go, she stalked over. Walking up, she slid up next to Gordo and wrapped her arm around his waist. "Gordo," she said softly, almost seductively, and literally pulled him closer to her. Pretending to casually look over, she locked eyes with Parker. "Hello Parker."

"Miranda," she said back coldly.

"What were you two talking about?" Miranda asked, not taking her eyes off of Parker.

"Nothing much. Basically school, senior year," Gordo said.

If she wasn't in a stare down, Miranda would've laughed. Gordo, as usual, was completely oblivious when a girl was flirting with him.

Miranda leaned in closer to him and put her head against his shoulder. "We're looking forward to it," she said, putting an extra emphasis on we're.

Parker just glared back. "I have to go. I talk to ya later Gordo."

"Bye Parker," Gordo called after her. Miranda just smiled as she watched her walk away.

Gordo turned his attention to Miranda. "What was that all about?"

Miranda blushed, suddenly becoming really embarrassed. But thankfully they were interrupted before Miranda had a chance to answer.

Ethan, on one of his whims, had bought a home karaoke set and apparently had brought with him. He had just finished setting it up. "Who wants to go first?"

Kate went first and was pretty good. Then Ethan practically butchered a song but no one could fault him because he was having too good of time doing it.

Miranda then watched in amusement as Larry sang and Claire was practically captivated but tried her best not to make it obvious. She was of course worried about her image. What would they say when the second most popular girl in the class fell for the class dork.

_"Larry is gonna love this,"_ Miranda thought with a smile.

As Larry finished, Lizzie waved her over to her.

Looking over at Gordo, "I'll be back."

Walking up to Lizzie, part of her was curious and another was annoyed that she had to leave Gordo's side. "What?"

"It's your turn," Lizzie told her with an evil grin.

"My what?" she asked in disbelief.

"Your song is already picked. All you gotta do is sing."

"No!" she snarled at Lizzie as she shoved the microphone into her hand.

"Look, you seem unable to find the words to tell Gordo how you feel. So you're gonna sing them to him." Lizzie said to her as she dragged her up on the patio, that was serving as a makeshift stage.

Miranda took a deep breath, to try and calm her nerves. She took an annoyed and worried glance at Lizzie. Lizzie just smiled back and gave her a thumbs up.

Looking at the song that was selected, Miranda wasn't sure to grimace or cheer. Either way, Lizzie was going to pay for this.

Taking another deep breath, she looked up and her eyes immediately found Gordo's. Looking at him, she slowly nodded for Lizzie to start the music.

As the music started, Miranda began to sing. While all their friends were listening to her, the only person she really saw was Gordo.


	13. Feelings Revealed At Last

Reviewers/Readers – Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them. This story as gone through like five rewrites and I'm glad it was worth it.

supergirljen – Thanks for beta reading and your help on this story, especially with the descriptions. I promise to try and not mess with your head anymore, lol.

tormented soul - Thanks for beta reading and your suggestions.

checksumoners – I listen to a bit of almost everything, it depends on what kind of mood I'm in at the time. For the last chapter, I tried a couple of different songs of various styles but Breathe was the one I liked the best.

the gifted one – Are you gonna update your story or what? lol. BTW, I think you should make it an M/G, there aren't enough of them on here. I like L/Gs but we need some more diversity.

A/N – _"Thoughts"_

Chapter 13 – Feelings Revealed At Last

As Miranda finished, the crowd started clapping and cheering wildly, but it was all oblivious to her. The only thing that mattered was the pair of blue eyes staring back at her.

Putting the microphone down, she walked off the patio and headed towards him. Stopping about a foot away, they just stared at each other for a few seconds. Finally Gordo broke the silence, "We need to talk."

Miranda just nodded and they walked around the house towards the front.

Lizzie watched them leave and smiled, _"It's about damn time."_

As they walked around the house and towards the street, both were lost in their own thoughts. Walking in silence for a little bit, trying to find the right words to say to each other.

After a few minutes, Gordo reached out and stopped her. Turning slowly, he faced her.

Miranda looked at his face and took in how nervous he suddenly got. "What is it Gordo?" she asked concerned.

"Why didn't you go to the prom with Danny? I know he asked you but you turned him down. I don't understand why. He's the guy you've been crazy about for as long as I can remember," Gordo told her.

Miranda couldn't help but smile at him, _"Forever willing to fall on his sword for us."_ "I turned him down because I wanted to go with you." She then took a deep breath and before something stopped her, she repeated, "I wanted to go with you."

Gordo interrupted her. "But why? You're smart, funny, gorgeous, you could've had any guy you wanted."

"And I got the one I wanted," Miranda told him flat out. She watched in amusement as Gordo opened and shut his mouth a few times with nothing coming out. Miranda knew she had rattled him.

"What?" Gordo asked in disbelief, his voice slightly cracking.

Miranda tentatively took a step forward, "I turned down Danny not because you asked me first. That was a lie, I realize that now. I turned him down because I wanted to go with you. I was just too scared to admit it."

"You scared?" Gordo joked.

Miranda shrugged and looked down. "It's scary when you start falling for your best friend. The guy you see as a brother. The one relationship that you're scared out of your mind to even tamper with. But the same guy who you need to tell or it would be one of the biggest regrets of your life," Miranda finished as she slowly looked up at Gordo.

"You really feel like that?" Gordo asked dumbfounded.

Miranda nodded. "Contrary to what you believe, I think you're not just smart but funny, charming, and sweet." She then grinned at him, "You're also cute in a goofy sorta of way."

Gordo slowly stepped forward, closing the remaining gap between them. "Do you want to go out to dinner sometime?" Gordo asked really fast, trying to be bold and brave but the nervousness was still in his voice as it cracked a little.

Miranda smiled at him, "I'd like that."

Slowly, their heads started to tilt and move towards each other. As they came closer, their eyes slowly closed. They were the same height, so there were no weird angles that either of them had to bend down to.

As their lips touched, it felt like electricity shooting through both of them, and they finally gave into what they wanted to do for so long.

As the kiss deepened, Miranda pressed herself against him and dug her hands into his curly hair. Gordo's arms wrapped around her waist holding her close to him.

As they broke for air, they stayed in each other's arms and both were grinning wildly at each other.

Gordo took a deep breath and smiled. "Vanilla," he said aloud.

Miranda smirked, "What?" she asked him while laughing a little.

"Nothing," Gordo said a little embarrassed that he just blurted it out. "We should get back and tell Lizzie she was right."

"Great. Now we'll never hear the end of it," she joked and they both laughed.

Just as they let go of each other, Gordo quickly reached out and took her hand in his. Miranda intertwined her fingers with his and they slowly walked back to the McGuire's hand in hand.

Minutes later, Lizzie watched the new couple walk around the side of the house. She watched them head towards the tree. Gordo sat down against the trunk and Miranda sat down in between his legs and leaned back against his chest. His arms immediately wrapped around her waist. Lizzie smiled at how cute they were.

Mrs. McGuire slowly walked up to her daughter. "I see Miranda and Gordo are back." She then looked at her daughter cautiously. "You alright with them together?"

Lizzie looked over at her mom, "It's a little weird but if they're happy, I'm happy."

Mrs. McGuire smiled and kissed the top of her head. "You're growing up so much sweetie."

Lizzie just snickered at her over emotional mom. Looking back, she caught Miranda's eye and the two shared a knowing smile.

Miranda looked back at Gordo and grinned evilly. She snaked her hand up behind his neck and up to the back of his head. Gordo looked at her suspiciously but with a small smile. She gently pulled down on his head and at the same time pulled herself up. Their lips met in a short but fiery kiss.

Pulling back, Miranda took in quick gasp of breath. "I so could get used to that."

Gordo chuckled softly and bent his head forward, resting his face on the top of her head. He took a breath, deeply inhaling her scent. "So could I," he mumbled into her hair.

For the rest of the party the two sat together under the tree just enjoying being with each other, watching the sky turn different shades of red and purple as the sun set and enjoying the beginning of their new relationship.


End file.
